Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to temporarily relocate the Dadar fish market from Senapati Bapat Marg to a plot near the Airoli check post in Mulund East. The move comes after an earlier plan to shift the market to Wadala failed to materialize.
According to Alka Sasane, Assistant Municipal Commissioner (Markets), the relocation to Airoli is temporary, as the vendors are ultimately slated to move to the redeveloped Crawford Market building. “The permanent relocation for Dadar fish vendors will be Crawford Market. Till then, we have decided to shift them to Airoli,” Sasane said.
The decision follows growing opposition from Dadar East residents, particularly members of the Swarajya CHS, who protested last month against the fish market citing traffic congestion after the closure of the Elphinstone Bridge. Their protest was also supported by local MLA Mahesh Sawant.
However, the fish vendors have opposed the BMC’s decision and are determined not to move. “We have a court order protecting us. In 2021, when BMC proposed shifting us to Airoli, we approached the High Court, and the court asked our choice. We agreed to move to Crawford Market. There is no question of shifting to Airoli or Wadala,” said a representative of the Dadar Fish Market Vendors Association.
Sources said the BMC’s Market Department will issue eviction notices this week, giving vendors 15 days to vacate. If they fail to comply, action will be taken under the Municipal Corporation Act.
Officials also revealed that vendors from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Fish Market, adjacent to Crawford Market, are unwilling to accommodate the Dadar vendors, leading to internal disputes among market groups.
A Dadar vendor said, “We don’t want to inconvenience residents. We are ready to shift back to our original market location or to Crawford Market as promised in court.”
